International Day of Rural Women

The celebration of the  International Day of Rural Women recognizes that rural women are uniquely situated to help mitigate the causes of global warming and adapt to its impacts on the ground . Additionally, it acknowledges that climate variability has a more pronounced impact on women, primarily indigenous and peasant women, whose agricultural dependence, living conditions and marginalization expose them to a greater degree of changes due to climate, loss of diversity and pollution.

The theme for the International Day of Rural Women ( 15 October ), “ Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All ”, highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world. From production of crops to processing, preparing and distributing foods, women’s labour – paid and unpaid – feeds their families, communities and the world. Yet, they do not wield equal power with men, and as a result, they earn less income and experience higher food insecurity. Despite our planet’s capacity to provide sufficient and good food for all, hunger, malnourishment, and food insecurity are rising in many parts of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with climate crises, have made matters worse: some 2.37 billion people did not have enough to eat in 2020 –that’s 20 per cent more than the year before. UN Women’s latest report, Beyond COVID-19: A feminist plan for sustainability and social justice , calls for rebuilding the broken global food system from the bottom...

This year on International Day of Rural Women ( 15 October ), we’re celebrating the vital role that rural women play in climate action with a spotlight on “ Rural women and girls building resilience ” theme. As the world faces an increasingly critical need to address climate change, the important impact that rural women and girls have on building resilience is undeniable. It will take not only leaders, but whole populations to make the changes for a carbon-neutral world. Rural women and girls are leaders in agriculture, food security and nutrition, land, managing natural resource management and unpaid and domestic care work. They are at the frontline when natural resources and agriculture are threatened. In fact, globally, one in three employed women works in agriculture . Women also collect biomass fuels, manually process food materials, and pump water; eighty percent of households without piped water rely on women and girls for water collection. World leaders have committed to ge...

Rural women make up a quarter of the world’s population. They grow much of our food, strengthen economies and build climate resilience. UN Women statement On the International Day of Rural Women , UN Women calls upon the international community to work with rural women and girls everywhere and to invest in the sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection that can revolutionize their livelihoods, well-being and resilience .  Read more» From championing access to clean water in Kyrgyzstan to boosting sustainable agriculture in Ethiopia, rural women are mobilizing to support one another, and their contributions are vital for both rural communities and urban societies. Yet, on almost every measure of development, because of gender inequalities and discrimination, they fare worse than rural men or urban women. On October 15th , the United Nations commemorates the International Day of Rural Women, under the theme, “ Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protect...

Rural women ensure food security for their communities, build climate resilience and strengthen economies. Yet, gender inequalities, such as discriminatory laws and social norms, combined with a fast-changing economic, technological and environmental landscape restrict their full potential, leaving them far behind men and their urban counterparts.

Rural women make up over a quarter the world population and majority of the 43 per cent of women in the global agricultural labour force. They till the lands and plant seeds to feed nations. They ensure food security for their communities and build climate resilience. But when it comes to owning land, accessing agricultural inputs, financing and technologies for climate resilience, they are left far behind men. Rural women: the invisible mainstay of sustainability. In a statement for the International Day of Rural Women (15 October), UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlighted the importance of the social and physical infrastructure that enables rural women’s participation in sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural production, processing, transport and marketing. Read more► This year, International Day for Rural Women (15 October), focuses on the theme, “ Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of ru...

Women and girls in far flung villages are very rarely in the spotlight. From 15 – 17 October, UN Women commemorates three key United Nations observances related to women’s role in development— International Day of Rural Women (15 October), World Food Day (16 October) and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October). Rural women’s rights, food and poverty are issues that are inextricably linked. In 2016, the International Day of Rural Women and World Food Day will focus jointly on the theme “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”. A high-level commemoration event will take place at the United Nations Headquarters on 17 October, 1.15 - 2.30 p.m. Today, farmers, fishers and pastoralists stand on the frontlines of food insecurity as temperatures rise, weather patterns become less predictable and climate-related disasters become more frequent. As key actors in food systems, as small-scale farmers and those in charge of ensuring adequate nutrition for famil...